Harry Potter and the Black Bird's Cry
by Devin Prewit
Summary: What if a phoenix cried on Tom Riddles Diary? What if Voldemort produced an heir to follow in his twisted snake tracks? One thing for sure is its not over yet for Harry and the gang as they set off for Hogwarts one last time. Set after Deathly Hallows.
1. Chapter 1

Bellatrix Lestrange cofwered in the corner of a vast cavern, allowing her stringy black hair to fall over her once beautiful face in a way that would have been graceful at any other location. It had been nearly two days since her secret imprisonment, since the fall of her one true master. She took one of her long and bony hands and observed its emaciation. Tears coming to her eyes as she ran the long fingernails down her cheek, noticing that it had been hollowed through starvation intermingled with deep depression. The 'Decoro' spell had worn off.

She was once beautiful, the right hand lady of her Dark Lord Voldemort, a powerful man of ruthless nature whom she admired even more than her ever-faithful husband. In her intimacy with the Dark Lord, she almost began to think of herself as Lady Voldemort, Queen of Wizard-Kind. This was of course foolish, for Voldemort did not love. He didn't need to, after all; he had no purpose for a wife, let alone a queen. Only a mistress. But it didn't matter now. The dark lord was gone.

Yet she still couldn't help but think Voldemort had something planned for her. Or something planned for his own return. You see, on the first day of May over two months prior, Voldemort visited her in private. It was in a secret chamber Malfoy Manor, shown to them by Lucius; the Malfoy senior. She remembered it so very clearly.

"_Bella," Voldemort began with a wicked hiss, towering over her in the dim light of the musty room._

"_Yes, master?"she crooned in reply, kneeling unto the cold, stony floor._

"_Do not interrupt," he spat in casual fury, glaring into her dark icy-blue eyes with his own angry-red ones._

_Horror struck her face and trembled her body as she stammered, "M-my apologies m-m-merciful Lo-ord."_

_Voldemort looked away, uninterested and began to speak in the same high-pitched hiss in which he had spoken in before. She bowed her head low before him._

"_As you know, tomorrow there will take place a battle of epic proportions, a battle we must- will- win!" He looked to her expectantly and she nodded with a solemn expression. "If -when- we win, your services will be needed." Bellatrix looked at him, confused, but he did not explain any further. "The battle will be grueling. The lives of many of my subjects shall be lost, and my own army's blood shall most definitely be spilt." He paused to stand and pace around a bemused Bellatrix. "We must be sure that none of theses lives, and none of this blood, belong to you."_

"_Oh master," she said, oddly surprised. She new very well that Voldemort rarely cared about the safety of his Death-Eaters. That was their problem. This only made her feel all the more special, but a bit disappointed. "I will not fight?"_

"_YOU WILL FIGHT!" he screamed, drawing his long and knobby wand._

"_Oh please my lord! Please! I didn't-" she pleaded, grasping the bottom of his robes and crying onto his disgusting feet._

_He merely kicked her away and stated, "You incompetent fool!"_

_She covered her face with her arms as he raised his wand and incanted, "Gemenio!"_

_In a flash, there was not but one Bellatrix, but two._

_Voldemort ignored the amazement and fear still lingering in Bella's watery eyes as she gazed upon her life-like double. He then used a potent Imperius curse to regain her attention, jerking her head back in his direction. Bella was scared. Voldemort wasn't usually so violent towards her._

"_Listen to me," he commanded as she nodded. "I am going to charm your nervous system and sensory organs so that everything your mind does will actually effect your double. You will see through the eyes of your double, feel with the skin of your double, hear with the ears of your double, smell through the nose of your double, taste with the tongue, and move with the body of your double. You will cast spells through your double."_

"_But why, my lord," she asked hesitantly._

"_Any curse thrown upon the double- through which you are living- it will affect the double, while the real you stays perfectly intact somewhere far away. Any food you eat our water you drink through your double will support the true you and not the double, for it does not need to eat, drink or sleep. Even so, it can do anything you can, except perhaps bear a child."_

"_I see," she said. "What is it that you want me to do?"_

_Voldemort snarled "Your job is to kill. Kill as many mudbloods at the battle as you can. Kill dear Harry's little girlfriend. You know, that filthy Weasley. If any of her pack try to intervene, Kill them."_

_Bellatrix smiled wickedly and accepted._

"_Oh, and one more thing," he said calmly, regaining her attention. "Your little half-blood niece. The so-called shape-shifter. I want her dead. Kill her mate if you get to it. Their cub must be isolated. He… interests me. He could be a powerful ally, I feel, we can't let him be raised in a loving environment, can we? And if your blood-traitor of a sister decides to show up…"_

"_I understand," Bellatrix cackled, much to the amusement of her master. She was finally given the chance to show the disgraceful branch of her family once and for all that purebloods true to their heritage are the only humans deserving of life. Her family embarrassed her for the last time. Revenge is imminent. "But why am I being duplicated in such a way."_

"_So you will not be harmed," Voldemort said. "Only your double will be. If you are struck by a killing curse at the battle, your double will be knocked down, lifeless, but all your senses and muscle controls will come back to the real you, which would have been immobile for hours. You may suffer from temporary paralysis, or even partial blindness, but that should clear up about twenty-four hours after the body switch."_

_This made Bella a bit apprehensive but she would do anything for her master. It was an honor that she was being protected in such a way as it was, so she easily refrained from complaint out of fear._

"_But, hopefully, you will complete your assassinations before death comes upon your double," he said, eying her menacingly._

"_I understand," she nodded, nerves rising. The Dark Lord did not take failures lightly._

"_Once you wish to return to your own body, either ask Lucius to hit you with a killing curse, or ask him to take you to your own true body. Once you and your double touch, there will be only one of you- the real one."_

_He added this last question a bit harshly as she began to reach towards her duplicate. This was a very odd experience for her._

"_Why are you keeping me so safe, my lord," she asked._

"_So inquisitive, are you? You will have to perform a very important service to me."_

"_May I ask what this is?"_

_"There is much you must do, but only one thing is important now._ _I plan to produce an heir, Bella."_

"_Oh, master," she cooed. Her life-long dream had suddenly come alive. She had waited for the requitance of her love, or at least her lust, for such a long time._

"_Decoro!" he said. With a swish of his wand Bella felt all the beauty that had been taken from her face through her long years in Azkaban wash back onto her._

_She thanked her master soppily and watched in admiration as his robes fell gracefully to the floor._


	2. Chapter 2

Harry Potter awoke ever-so-suddenly from an uneasy sleep, seeing a red blob floating a few feet above him. In one swift motion, Harry pried his hand off of his throbbing forehead and thrusted it to his nightstand, picking up both his wooden wand and round-framed glasses.

"Blimey, Harry," said a startled voice. "It's just me!"

Harry's glasses found their way to his eyes, and so he lowered his wand when the sight of sight of tall, freckled red-head met these emerald eyes.

"Oh- Ron!" Harry panted. "It's just you- sorry, I-"

"Was having one of those nightmares, again," a girl said gravely, standing in the doorway.

The bush of brown hair told both Ron and Harry that it was one of their best friends, Hermione Granger.

"We heard screaming," said a beautiful red-haired girl behind Hermione, as she stepped into the light of Ron's 'Lumos' charm. Hermione flicked the light-switch and Harry could see all the worries lining poor Ginny's face.

"I'm fine," Harry struggled as Ginny sat on the bed beside him, conjuring a cloth wet with warm water and gently touching it to his face. She was wiping away the stench of cold sweat.

Suddenly, Harry heard a loud thumping from down below.

"What's that?" Harry asked, bolting upright.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "I suppose it's my mum again."

Indeed, Molly Weasley bursted into the room clad in a pale blue night-gown with her graying red-blond hair sticking out in various directions.

"Oh, Harry dear!" she sopped, plopping herself onto the lumpy bed, and seizing Harry into tight embrace.

Though a bit embarrassed, Harry accepted the hug graciously. He would have done anything for one of these warm hugs all those lonely nights in Little Winging. No one was ever there when little Harry woke with a fright, unless one counts the occasional screaming Vernon, colored blue with rage.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley, really!" Harry said, trying to convince himself the very same thing.

He looked around to see Ginny's loving gaze, Hermione's furrowed brow, and Ron's concerned expression. George was also there, looking glum-as-ever. Poor bloke. They should be consoling him, not Harry, in Harry's opinion.

"Harry," Hermione began with uncertainty. "This getting serious. I thought we'd be done with all of this."

Harry agreed. He had spent seven years trying to defeat a certain Dark Lord Voldemort, and had finally succeeded nearly two weeks prior. He shouldn't still be suffering sleepless nights and terrifying, seemingly prophetic dreams.

"I think its about time that we…" Hermione began with equal hesitance as before. "Well, get you to a psychiatrist or something."

"Hermione!" Harry argued wildly. "I'm just having some bad dreams, I'm not _insane!_"

"Bad dreams, Harry?" she said, clearly stung. "You've been screaming hysterically nearly every night now. And a need for mental therapy is _no_ implication of _insanity_!"

"Sorry," Harry mumbled, remembering what she told him the day before.

She suggested therapy the day before, confiding that the torments of other muggle children in her pre-Hogwart's days had driven her to such therapy. Hermione was by no means anything less than sane.

"Well it's already four, I better go start breakfast," said Molly, desperately searching for a change in topic. "Well everyone, off to bed! Harry, dear, would you like a nice bowl of hot soup?"

But before Harry could answer, Mrs. Weasley was already making a brisk exit. Despite her orders, no one left. George was sleeping in the same room as Ron and Harry, unable to return to his room with his late twin, Fred, but didn't even return to his bed. Ginny remained at his side, Ron at the foot of the bed, and Hermione next to Ron.

"Harry," Hermione started. "You were holding your forehead. Your scar's hurting you again, isn't it, Harry."

"No, I'm fine- its just- just a head-ache," Harry invented.

"Harry, don't lie to us," Hermione said sternly, looking around to the three Weasleys. "We all heard what you were screaming."

George, Ron, and Ginny each nodded solemnly.

"What was I screaming," said Harry with mock ignorance, secretly praying they didn't hear what he knew he was screaming.

Hermione looked around once more and whispered, "'He's back!'"

"Oh," said Harry, pretending this was unimportant.

"_Oh?_" said Ginny wildly. "_Oh?_"

"Harry," Hermione said again. "He's gone. You know that, don't you? We all saw it happen."

"Of course I do! In case you don't remember, I was there too!" Harry cried. "I guess it just hasn't completely sunken in yet. It's not a very simple concept. I've been fighting him, or at least evading him for years! It's a bit hard for me to grasp, I guess."

"It's over," said Ginny. "Don't forget that."

Harry nodded, and Ginny gave him a quick but passionate kiss. She said 'good-night' to her brothers and left the room behind Hermione. Ron and George took one last look at Harry and each other before returning their beds and turning off the light. By the time Mrs. Weasley returned with the soup, Harry was already pretending to be fast asleep. She placed it at the foot of his bed after placing a heating charm upon it, just in case.

Poor Harry had nothing to do but think about the dream, unable to fall back asleep. He feared the nightmare would visit him again the second he fell into sleep. He feared the embarrassment that would follow as he'd wake up the entire house once more. He felt so immature, so contaminated. He felt as if he was an extremely disturbed toddler, unable to sleep through the night quietly without visions of death and destruction, or having an episode of traumatic hysteria. These fears and thoughts nearly kept him from falling asleep every single night.

No one heard him as he cried throughout every night. No one knew how he could still hear Lord Voldemort hissing in his ear. He could still see the life drifting from Cederic's desperate eyes. His mother's death and blood-curdling scream still rolled across his mind like film in a video camera. He could still see all those bodies lying in that enormous heap. Collin Creevey, Fred, Tonks, Lupin, all staring at him through lifeless eyes. It was entirely his fault. He almost couldn't bare attending Fred's funeral service about one week prior.

Yes, Voldemort was dead, but he will never be gone. It will never be over. The gaping hole he left in the earth's population of good people would never fully mend. Harry felt as if he would never heal either. It seemed that time could not mend a heart torn so deeply. Hopefully, time would prove him wrong.

Several long hours later, Harry found himself changing into some clothes for breakfast; with Ron and George doing so nearby. Ron and George had gotten very close within the past few weeks. Ron even agreed to work with George at the joke store, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. They would start in a few days, having taken a break after their losses. The defeat of Lord Voldemort was excruciatingly bittersweet.

"Bill and Fleur are stopping by today," said Mr. Weasley as everyone took their seats along the vast breakfast table.

"Did they say when?" Ginny inquired.

Before Arthur could open his mouth while shaking his head, the front door flew open, and in walked a young couple consisting of an tall, attractive blonde of at least 20 years of age, and a tall, red-haired man who looked to be almost thrity.

"Knock knock!" Bill said, most of his hair tied back in a pony-tail, leaving some to hang over the half of his face that was savaged beyond recognition by Fenrir Greyback, a werewolf in his human state.

Mrs. Weasley instantly left the table to greet her first-born son, and her first daughter-in-law.

" 'Ello muzzer!" she chimed in a thick, southern-French accent. Fleur was for some reason a changed woman now. The Battle of Hogwarts seemed to have stripped her of any haughtiness and unfriendliness.

Harry, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys greeted the couple and re-sat themselves to feast of vast enormity. Harry was sitting next to Ginny on the opposite side of Ron as Hermione. Both relationships had really taken off since the Battle. It had only been two weeks but each couple looked like it would last forever. Even good things come out of the bad.

The world was now in a state of great renewal, with a promise of being even better than it had been before Voldemort tore it apart. Harry always thought that even bad things happen for a reason. Now he knew he was right. Well, at least in that aspect.

"Well, mum, it's very likely. Actually, me and Fleur were talking about it on the way here," said Bill happily, answering his mothers question.

Mrs. Weasley dropped her fork in a way that made every head at that table turn towards the end of the table containing herself, Arthur, Bill, and Fleur.

"What?" cried Arthur, eyebrows raised to surprising levels.

"Oui! Eet ees true! Bill and me are zeenking of starting a family soon!" Fleur exclaimed.

"We even chose names… It was a very long ride. We wanted to get used to driving. Apparation won't be safe once she gets pregnant," Bill informed.

Mrs. Weasley squealed in delight, giving both Bill and Fleur a firm squeeze just before Arthur hugged both as well. George slapped Bill on the back while Hermione and Ginny praised Fleur despite their previous dislike of one another. Harry clapped his hands together, laughing as Ron did the same.

"What are the names?" Ginny asked eagerly.

Everyone looked to Bill and Fleur, awaiting their answer.

"Eef eet ees a girl, she will be named Victoire Frederique, after 'er uncle and zee defeat you-know-'oo!"

"And if it's a boy, he will be named Frederic Louis… or Louis Frederic, after your father, mum."

Harry liked these names, as did the rest of the table. He especially liked the feminine version, as it perfectly displayed the bittersweetness of the battle. The loss Fred and the winning of the battle were combined in poetic harmony.

"How many little tykes can we be expecting," Arthur pressed eagerly.

"I zeenk zree ees good," Fleur estimated.

"At least!" Bill added with a toothy grin.

Molly squeeled again, and hugged the couple once more. "I'm going to be a _grandmother!_"

"Have you decided when?" Ginny asked.

"In two months or so," said Bill. "Once everything clears up a bit. Fleur and I have to re-secure our jobs at the bank, and we'll need to extend the house a bit as well."

"Yes, zat goblin only _just_ left, but Ollivander ees going to need some time calm down. Dean is still there too. 'Ee 'asn't found 'ees family yet, but from what I've 'eard, 'ee's very close."

Arthur nodded.

Lucius Malfoy was sitting in his study, replaying the Dark Lord's instructions through his mind, trying to convince himself that he had followed them correctly. His master was gone, but Lucius was still afraid of the wizard's terrible power. He had implied a second return, after all. Voldemort had been talking much too quickly and impatiently for Lucius to properly understand, but he had followed the orders as well as he possibly could.

He was supposed to enter the secret chamber he had shown Voldemort, and retrieve the woman within it around midnight. The woman, Lucius was told, was Bellatrix Lestrange, his wife's favorite sister, but in the hastiness of Voldemort's instructions, Lucius was made to believe that the woman in the chamber was the fake Bellatrix; the one unable to produce a child.

Lucius had done what he was told, placing a charm on what looked like a small satchel of galleons to allow the thing to hold Bellatrix and a food supply. After placing Bella in the bag with a two week supply of food, he set off to Gringgott's Wizarding Bank like a good little Death Eater, and set the silk satchel upon a pile of gold.

After setting the bag upon the gold Lucius, realized he had forgotten to drop a small beat-up diary labeled "Tom Marvolo Riddle" in the bag. An important note was enclosed within the diary. A note Bellatrix absolutely had to read.

Rather than dropping the punctured book into the bag in one swift motion, Lucius decided to fall into the bag and place it underneath a plate. As he was preparing to depart, he turned to see Bellatrix sprawled across the floor of the bag in a somewhat erotic pose, her face magically beautified.

It was a hard decision for Malfoy to make, but he of course chose the wrong one. He hadn't been provided with the chance for such delight for nearly 19 years. What his wife, Narcissa, didn't know wouldn't hurt her. After all, Bellatrix's duplicate was unable to bare a child, so as far as Lucius was concerned, there couldn't be any poof. Unfortunately for him and Bella, this was not Bellatrix's duplicate. If only he knew.

A/N: This is a sort of an awkward thing to say, but... no more doing...


	3. Chapter 3

Those were possibly the best ten minutes of Bella's entire life, and it killed her to think about it, knowing that Voldemort could no longer be with her. Thinking about him made it seem as if he was right beside her, but Bellatrix knew it wasn't possibly. She wasn't exactly sure if he was really dead, but felt it in her heart. She wasn't sure because she ended up 'dying' before the battle was ended, and she was isolated from the rest of the world. Even so she did have proof.

After that intimate meeting with Voldemort, she was ordered to go sleep with her husband. Voldemort did not want Rodolphus to suspect her infidelity. It could potentially be a perfect cover-up. Once Rodolphus fell asleep, Bellatrix followed orders and went into that same secret chamber, where Voldemort subsequently performed the body-switch charm. She went back to her bed within the duplicate body and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts the very next day.

She saw to it that Antonin Dolohov, a fellow death eater, murdered Remus Lupin with his signature killing curse. She killed Lupin's metamorphagus wife with the traditional curse as the widow sobbed upon her werewolf's corpse. Her blood-traitor of a sister never showed, but Bellatrix continued to her next assignment after seeing that fowl Harry Potter die at the wand of her master only to awaken in the arms of that fat oaf Hagrid due to the betrayal of Bella's only remaining 'virtuous' sister. As Voldemort expected, one of the Weasleys intervened when she tried to end that Ginny's life. Unfortunately, this Molly Weasley- mother of the family- successfully ended Bella's duplicate life first.

Bella had reawoken alone in the dark after surviving an extremely traumatic experience involving a light of devastating veracity and an excruciating pain and apparition. She knocked completely and utterly senseless by Molly's spell; unable to see, hear, feel, taste, or smell. She could only think, but barely. She was overwhelmed as her life flashed before her eyes and depression fell upon her. For a while she believed that it _was_ death, and that she _was_ dead. The thought that it would never end and that there was not a single thing she could do to change it was something she could not bare. Fortunately Voldemort hadn't failed her.

Bellatrix slowly regained her sense of touch, and even her sense of sight and hearing over the next few days. Even so, her vision was still very blurred, and the few things she heard were muffled. She was still a bit cold and unfeeling, and was still completely paralyzed. It wasn't until almost two weeks of starvation and immobility after Molly's curse that Bella was able to reach the food and dink left for her, but she could still not taste or smell the food. She had only just stopped eating before she observed her hand and felt her cheek, reminiscing about the dark lord.

Tears still streamed down her cheeks as she looked to the proof of her master's death, which was upon her emaciated chest. A silver heart shaped locket lay there, attached to a thin, golden chain. The locket was opened. She had opened it even before she satisfied her two-week-old hunger.

It was a locket Voldemort presented to her just before the first body switch. He told her that when opened, the jewel inside would glow with the light of the brightest sun, so long as he was alive and active. Indeed, the bright scarlet jewel had glowed with such intensity when Voldemort first opened it after bestowing it around her neck.

But now, to Bella's deep despair, the dull jewel refused to give off even the slightest light. Her only doubts to his death were caused by sheer disbelief. She looked down to the hand she didn't use and realized it was still clasped around something she found almost two weeks prior. It was a ring she found in the underbrush of the Forbidden Forest on the grounds belonging Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, when she was parading the seemingly dead Harry 

Potter along with her master and some of his accomplices. She subsequently pocketed it, but grasped it once more as Molly sent that famous curse. Bellatrix found it odd that the ring switched bodies with her, but she had an odd feeling that it was somehow meant to happen.

She squinted at the ring, trying to make out the dark jewel, and the insignia upon it. She couldn't make it out with her slightly blurred vision and the exceptionally dim lighting. The only things she could distinguish were the gold color of the band, and the deep crack in the black jewel of a rounded square shape. Giving up, she slipped it onto her ring finger, noticing her wedding band was gone. It must have been lost in the body transfers.

She again thought of her master, and felt as if he were right beside her. But this time the thought of his presence was even more powerful. Quickly, she twisted her neck to direct her gaze to spot in question. Nothing but a plate once filled with food now reduced to crumbs lay there. But then she noticed a slight elevation in the plate, something she didn't see before. There was something thin under the plate. As quickly as her sore muscles would permit, she carefully lifted the plate and slid the item out from its hiding place, feeling that the floor felt like burlap. This made sense, seeing as the dim light came in above her in small streams through many holes.

It was a small, seemingly insignificant book, with several violent puncture-marks upon it. It was a diary, actually. Curiosity bursting through her every vain, Bella picked the diary up and opened it, only to see no writing within it. As she flipped through the yellowed pages, noticing that some were blood-stained, a slip of pure white parchment fell onto the burlap floor. All she could see were green blurs across it.

Since her vision could not prevail, she drew her wand and said, "Speak."

Suddenly, the paper floated out from her hands and folded into the likeliness of a pair of thin lips. And then it spoke with the voice of one of her three brothers-in-law; Lucius Malfoy.

"Bellatrix,

The Dark Lord wishes for you to read this, but said you will be reading this only if things went terribly wrong. His description of the body change was a bit confusing but I believe I got the jest of it. Anyways, the Dark Lord mentioned something about a locket. I assume you know what he was talking about. If not, I must say that the two of us are in deep, deep, trouble. You must say two very important words exactly seven times, but only if the 'light' within said locket 'goes out.' He said you must then through this diary into the smoke. I wish you the best of luck. The phrase is "Melas Anastasis."

-Lucius

Bellatrix's heart began to pound faster and faster. She knew the chant Voldemort wanted her to perform. It was something her parents taught her. Something every Black child had to learn. Even the descendants of the Black family knew of it. The Longbottoms knew, the Malfoys knew, the blood-betraying Weasleys knew, the Hitchens knew, the Crouches had once known, the Burkes knew, and even Teddy Lupin would soon come to know it. It meant "Black reincarnate," which is precisely what it summoned. It was the summoning of the Black Phoenix. This bird is a powerful bird; named for its charcoal color, pureblood owners, and its dark tendencies.

The Black Phoenix was somewhat of a family legend, but all the Blacks new it was very true. Hundreds of years before, Salazar Slytherin possessed a phoenix. It was not an ordinary phoenix with ruby-red feathers and a golden beak, like Fawkes (A pet of Godric Gryffindor which was passed to one line of his descendants). This Phoenix was covered with jet-black feathers darker than ebony. Its beak was colored with a dark, seemingly tarnished silver which combined with the emerald color of its glowing eyes to form Salazar's heraldic coloring.

When Salazar died, he passed the phoenix down to his twin sister, Salvatrix. Salvatrix Slytherin passed the phoenix down to her son Arcturus, through Sir Regulus Black, her first husband and brother of Salazar's mistress, Lysandra. Arcturus decided to pass the phoenix onto all forty-nine of his grandsons and all seven of his sons. He wished to pass it onto his sixty-four granddaughters and all eight of his daughters, as well. Among his One-hundred-and-thirteen grandchildren He decided to devise a way for the bird to be shared whenever it's healing tears were needed. He trained the intelligent bird to appear before any of his descendants whenever they said "Melas Anastasis" for a seventh time.

The lines Arcturus' one-hundred-and-thirteen grandchildren slow interbred into a single house of Black, or else married into families descended from Salazar Slytherin's three beautiful daughters. These Salazar Slytherin-descended lines were notorious for incest, and thus these interbred into a single line of Gaunts. At one point, the only remaining descendants of Arcturus were Phineas Nigellus Black and two Gaunts: Iapetus Kronidus and Asia Klymene. Asia and Iapetus were first cousins, but nonetheless married and had only one descendant three generations later. This descendant did not marry.

Phineas Nigellus however got married to a distant relative named Ursula Flint and had many descendants, including Bellatrix. The reason Voldemort knew of these words was because it was he who was the single great-grand-child of Iapetus and Asia. The pair gave birth to one son, Marvolo Atlas, who married Pleiona Yaxley and gave birth to Merope and Morfin Gaunt. Morfin was childless, but Merope became pregnant by a Muggle named Tom Riddle. She plopped the baby out at a muggle orphanage, leaving him with the name Tom Marvolo Riddle, and a slip of paper reading 'Melas Anastasis.'

Bellatrix had spent years dreaming of what the Phoenix might be like, but could not imagine what Voldemort would want her to do with such a beast. The thought of it made her feel as if she couldn't breathe.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ah!" Harry gasped, throwing a hand to his forehead, carefully cradling Teddy Lupin with one arm as the baby suddenly stopped giggling.

Ginny quickly seized the baby, fearing the baby would squirm from Harry's haphazard grasp. The couple was at the Tonks' household, for poor Andromeda needed a break from the baby as she coped with the losses of her over-twenty-six-year-husband, twenty-six-year-old daughter and new son-in-law. She and Ted Tonks the first had barely missed their twenty-seventh anniversary, but poor Remus and Nymphadora Lupin were months from their first.

Bill and Fleur had taken Harry and Ginny to Andromeda's house on the way out. Now Harry and Ginny were quite experienced in the art of parenthood, having spent many afternoons with the little bundle of joy. Andromeda always told them that they would make the perfect pair of parents. At this Harry and Ginny would both blush and smile awkwardly, but both knew it was true. They were perfect together, as Mrs. Weasley always said. It seemed to be her life-long dream for Ginny and Harry to get married and have her grandkids. Harry couldn't deny that this did sound quite tempting, but he was only turning eighteen on August 31st, and Ginny was turning seventeen twenty days before him. Though Mrs. Weasley always told them that she and Arthur were about Harry's age when they eloped, Harry didn't think he and Ginny should get married just yet, even if both of them were very ready to start a family together.

"What's wrong Harry?" Ginny asked, concerned.

"Nothing," Harry grunted. "I'm fine." He hated lying, especially to Ginny.

"Then why are you holding your scar?" Ginny inquired, raising a beautifully formed eye-brow.

"I-erm…" Harry began.

"Mhm, I thought so," Ginny said, while handing a squirming Teddy to Harry. "Hold him; I'll go get the diapers. You'll understand the next time you inhale."

Harry realized what she was saying and laughed, but Ginny didn't. Harry frowned and took the baby. As he looked down at the baby, his eyes slowly changed from blue to green. Teddy always changed appearance when Harry held him. Harry smiled and then Teddy smiled too. Then Teddy's attention was drawn to Harry's throbbing scar. The freckles created in the likeness of Ginny had rearranged into a lightning-bolt upon his forehead, as he slowing reached his tiny hand to the blood-red scar. He would have looked just like a baby Harry if it weren't for the tuft of vibrant turquoise hair. Teddy's hair was almost invariably this neon shade.

Something odd happened when Teddy touched Harry scar. The pain suddenly oozed out from existence with pleasant cooling sensation even in the warmth of Teddy's hand. Harry was amazed, and better understood what he had been feeling. He felt as if something bad was about to happen concerning Voldemort, not as if something bad had happened. However, he was too happy with his god-son to be at all worried.

"What did you just do?" Harry cried, staring fondly at the baby.

Teddy merely giggled and snatched Harry's glasses, putting them crookedly upon his little button nose. Harry heard something beside him and thus he turned and squinted to see Ginny standing there with a pack of diapers. Harry already knew who it was, having recognized her walk, but took every excuse to look at her, even without his glasses. He could tell she was smiling fondly at the two of them. Perhaps she had forgotten about the scar. Harry sure hoped so.

"I haven't forgotten about the scar," said Ginny sternly, leaving Harry with the thought she was a Legilimens. "Look, Harry, I love you, but if we're gonna make this work you'll have to stop lying to me. What is love without trust?"

"Oh, Ginny," Harry sighed.

"Don't '_Oh, Ginny'_ me!" Ginny argued, her fists driving into her hips. "Tell me what's been up Harry!"

With her hands in such a position and her jaw set in such a way, she looked precisely like Mrs. Weasley and George, but Harry refrained from smiling.

"Ginn, you know I love you," said Harry, desperately. "That's why we broke up in the first place. It's just…"

"It's just what, Harry?" Ginny said. "Just what?"

Harry struggled, "I just that I thought you had enough on your plate already. You know- with Fred and all."

"Oh Harry," Ginny said, putting her freckled hand on his shoulder. "Is that what all this is about? Fred's loss is just as much on your plate as it is on mine. Haven't I told you that we're all in this together? In order to keep a neutral front, you must share your problems with me, and I must share mine with you. That's what marriage is all about."

"Marriage?" Harry asked wildly.

"Oh," Ginny gasped as blood rushed to ears and cheeks. "Sorry… I guess my mum has just been saying it so much that…. Can we change Teddy now- I can hardly breathe."

Uncomfortably, Harry walked with Ginny over to the changing station and laid Teddy upon it. He was never very cooperative at changing time, but Ginny somehow managed to diaper him in seconds- as usual.

"How'd you do that, Ginn?" Harry asked bewildered at the way she handled Teddy while he giggled and squirmed as happily as ever.

"I was trained by the best," Ginny said with mock pride.

"And who would that be?" Harry chuckled.

"My mum," she said simply. "I think you'll agree she's very experienced. F-Fred and George took a picture of her changing me once. You should have seen how fast her hands were moving- and with _no_ magic!"

Harry laughed happily with his girlfriend and godson, each ignoring the sadness that came with the utterance of the name 'Fred.' He'd have wanted them happy, after all.

Harry looked to the hand that was still on his shoulder, and realized something changed about it.

"Ginny!" said Harry, surprised. "What happened to your cut?"

"The cut?" she asked.

"Yes," Harry began. "The one Dolohov made with that slashing charm and the Battle two weeks ago! None of us could heal it, even Madam Pomfrey was stumped!"

"Oh, yeah," said Ginny, innocently. "Actually Teddy healed it."

"Wha- really," Harry stammered.

"Yep," she said simply.

Harry didn't expect or even notice the sly undertones she hid brilliantly in her voice.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"He grabbed my finger like many babies do, and then a cool sensation followed. The next thing I knew the cut was gone. "

"Really?" said Harry, overcome with excitement. "That's exactly what he did to my scar, he- Oh…"

Harry stopped dead, looked at Ginny's triumphant face and then stared at the ground. He defeated the powerful Voldemort, and yet he hadn't foreseen that simple trick.

Ginny stared at him blankly and said, "He must be a natural born healer, there very rare."

'_Busted'_ Harry said in his mind. They weren't even married yet and Harry was already playing the role of the guilty husband. Fortunately Judge Ginny looked fairly concerned and sympathetic, though disappointed in his dishonesty. He tried to fake an innocent smile but Ginny was less than amused.

"Take a seat," she said coldly.

Harry looked down at Ted and the baby gave him an apologetic look. Harry smiled at the baby but was not exactly happy. Harry sighed and fell into the leather chair across form the deep red couch that Ginny had sat upon; her legs crossed tightly and her hands folded in her lap.

"Well?" she said blandly, with an expectant look in her eyes. The rest of her facial expression bore something Harry just couldn't read.

Harry sighed. "These nightmares I've been having…. There just so…. Surreal and yet so believable. They tend to alternate between two stories. The first is extremely foggy in my memory. In fact, I think there was fog… or was it smoke?… Smoke, it was definitely a thick, black smoke."

Harry wanted to stop reliving it, but Ginny's gaze seemed to burn right through him when he paused. The burning only stopped as he gasped, gave Teddy a squeeze, and continued.

"I don't really know were I am, but the only light are these little dots above me. The ground is so cold that it stings my feet. My feet are always cold when I wake up. And then there's this blood-red flash and a deafening crack."

Harry paused again, and Ginny silently stared on.

"And then all hear is a high-pitched laugh, with a wickedness only Voldemort can achieve!" He said with distain. "And all throughout the dream I feel as if my head is about to spit in two… And then I see a flash of green and everything goes dark. I can hear my m-mother screaming… and I scream myself. And then… then I wake up, with the thought that Voldemort has returned… or is about too!"

"Oh, Harry!" said Ginny rising from the couch to squeeze into the chair beside him and lay an arm across his newly-broad shoulders.

Tears were forming in Harry's bright green eyes; he struggled to continue. The next sequence was even more painful too him.

"And in the other nightmare… It's not quite 'now.' It seems like it's at least five years from now. Well, we're married… with a beautiful house in Godric's Hollow and three beautiful children… well almost."

Harry paused and Ginny looked up to him, unsure whether it was a joke, an insult, or a chance to catch his breath. "That's your nightmare? Well, Harry, that certainly is a charming thing to say to your-"

"No, Ginny," Harry interrupted. "It's just the beginning of the dream. The happy part. Unfortunately, it's mercilessly short."

She nodded and listened silently.

"The oldest was at least three; a red-haired boy named James. He had glasses like mine. The middle was a few months older than one year. He looked exactly like I did in those pictures Hagrid gave me in that scrapbook. His name was Albus and I remember he had my mother's eyes. There was something interesting about him, but I couldn't quite figure it out. As for our third child, she was unborn. You were a few months pregnant but we knew it was a girl, and were going to name her Lily."

Ginny nodded and waited for him to continue.

"I was holding Albus while helping you get James into this hilarious Dumbledore costume. It had a beard and everything. It must have been Halloween. Anyway, the festivities were cut short as the door burst open and bright green light flew into James and he crumpled, dead into my arms."

Ginny gasped.

"I looked to the door and passed Albus to you, telling you to run upstairs. I realized that Voldemort was standing in the doorway, cackling maniacally. I told you to run upstairs again, but you wouldn't go until I reminded you of our unborn daughter."

Harry paused and took a shallow breath.

"I lifted James onto the couch and turned to see Voldemort already casting the killing curse. The bolt of green light bolted through me and I slowly and 

painfully slipped into darkness. But then I reawoke, but had no control over the body. The black robes and spidery white hands told that I was looking through the slitted eyes of Lord Voldemort. I-Voldemort was running up the stairs. He ran into the bedroom were you were hiding and took your wand. I- he said you could live, but only if you handed over the boy. You screamed in refusal and begged him not to harm poor Albus. All I could do was watch as the white hands of the body I was in sent an Avada Kadavra curse right into you and our baby. I tried to control Voldemort's body but couldn't. And then…"

Harry choked and Ginny squeezed him closer to her. Harry became even closer to crying when he saw tears swimming in his girlfriend's eyes. Even Teddy seemed solemn. He took a deep breath and continued.

"Voldemort turned his wand to Albus as he lay on the floor in your lifeless arms. He said the incantation, but the green light seemed to bounce right off of him. And then… I sort of drifted away, crying and screaming. That's when I woke up."

Harry, Ginny, and Teddy were each silent for several moments which each seemed to last a lifetime.

"Do you really think that could happen?" Harry stammered. "Do you think Voldemort could return… and then kill four fifths of our family? So that Albus would have to suffer in the same way I did…"

Ginny remained silent for several more moments but finally said, "I don't think Voldemort will ever come back… But that's what many people thought last time…"


	5. Chapter 5

"Melas Anastasis!"

"Melas Anastasis"

"Melas Anastasis"

"Melas Anastasis"

Bellatrix had began the chant once air was restored to her lungs, but stopped, suddenly realizing that the next time she said the words would be her seventh. She had repeated it after her parents when they taught her, so as to be sure that she could pronounce it with perfection.

The second time she said it was due to a dare from her sister, Andromeda. You see, the three Black girls- and many others of the family- felt that the Phoenix was somewhat untouchable, and it's chant unspeakable. It took a lot of guts to say a pair words which hadn't been said seven times for centuries, but Bella hadn't backed down from the bet her little sister made nearly forty years before.

Even now, however the word seemed to role from her tongue with uncertainty and even fear. Yet, she knew she would have to say it one more time. She took several calming breaths and closed her eyes in preparation.

"Melas Anastasis," she whispered fearfully in the darkness.

She quickly opened her eyes, her heart thumping rapidly and her blood surging quickly through her body. At first there was nothing to satisfy Bella's anticipation, but then it came, and Bella was not disappointed.

There was a sudden flash of blood-red light, and Bella was momentarily stunned and blinded, but when she could see again, it was even clearer than she had been able to before. Consequently, there was a sudden eruption of Black Flame, and a column of thick smoke arose from the pile of ashes beneath.

…_Throw the diary into the smoke…_

Bellatrix remembered the instructions Voldemort had passed through Lucius. She fumbled for the small tattered book, and tightly grasped it in a shaking palm. With an extreme effort she hefted the book and bore it aloft into the billowing smog.

Panting, she stood for the first time in weeks with her malnourished legs and stared as the Black flames slowly died away and the smoke hung in a ring above where it had first rose. On the floor by the center of the ring, there perched a magnificent yet malicious bird. It was craning its slender neck about a foot above the diary. Bellatrix watched in awe as a single droplet of blood-colored fluid rose from between the beast's beautiful eyelids like a scarlet sunrise and slowly flowed from the eyelid once they closed together, meandering like a shallow stream across the silver, hooked beak. The tear-drop fell from the pointed tip and plummeted in what seemed to be a slowed motion, hitting the diary with a satisfying sizzle. Slowly, yet surely, more tear-drops journeyed to the cover of the book, each hitting it like acid, causing steam to arise and join the jet-black smoke encircling above it.

Then the bird gave a sudden blood-curdling cry, but Bellatrix was much too enamored to cover her ears. She seemed unaffected by the sound, which would weaken only the purest of hearts. The smoke began to circle as if a sort of hurricane or black tornado around the screaming phoenix. Bella's locket began to glow brightly.

It seemed to gather into the center, shrinking and shrinking until it took form of a black sheet over a tall, slender man. Two long, white objects burst from the cloak and sprouted even thinner protrusions from the tip. A high-pitched laughter pierced the air like snake-fangs break the skin as a head through away its smoky hood to reveal its skin to be as white as the spidery arms. The face was barely that of a human at all. The nose was sunken; barely a nose at all, reduced to two snake-like slits identical to the forbidding pupils cut into his fiery scarlet eyes of unnatural largeness. In place of teeth were a serpentine set of flesh-lusting fangs, fully equipped with lethal venom.

The charcoal surrounding him rose with a motion of his hand, and spiraled into a single rod of ornately carven ebony. The tip of the wand glowed vermillion when the handle intertwined with Voldemort's deathly fingers, sending black and red sparks shooting before him.

"_Oh, master!"_

* * *

"Harry!" someone cried. "Harry wake up!"

"He's back!" Harry continually shrieked.

"Harry!"

"Harry it's OK!"

A cool sensation flowed onto Harry's forehand as a small, warm hand gently touched the lightning scar. Suddenly, Harry awoke and his torso bolted upright; his arms flinging forward to grab the baby squirming on his chest.

Harry was panting violently and he could feel blood dripping from his scar. He couldn't speak as hands pushed him back down onto a pillow, a damp wash cloth pressed upon his forehead, his feet lifted into steaming water. Soothing words were being said by three familiar voices. Teddy slid his hand under the wash cloth and cooled the bleeding scar. He took a deep breath and smelt putrid sweat excreting from his every pore; every bead of it as cold as ice. He slowly opened his eyes, moaning in agony. When his tears cleared from his eyes, he could see the heart-melting face of Teddy Lupin; his big blue eyes slowly changing green. Harry saw Teddy slowly become more distant, and felt the hand slip away.

Instantly the pain returned and Harry yelled. Teddy was immediately put back on top of Harry's chest.

"Harry?" said the small voice of Hermione Jean Granger. "Are you okay?"

He took several calming breaths, and eventually topped his shaking and muscle spasms.

"No," Harry grunted. "No one is."

Harry sat up and struggled to explain exactly what he saw, while Ginny, Ron, and Hermione consoled him, each dumbstruck with fear and sheer disbelief.

"We don't doubt that you saw what you saw," said Hermione gently when Harry was done. "But that's impossible."

Before Harry could protest, Ginny interjected, "Hermione! How could this possible be unreal. You saw the blood, the tremors, the screaming. We have to believe him- don't pull a Cornelius Fudge!"

Ron, with skin as white as paper, was too frightened to say a thing.

"No, Ginny, I mean it really isn't possible," said Hermione calmly. She took a deep breath and continued, "A phoenix's tear cannot reawaken a Horcrux unless applied moments after basilisk venom is impregnated into it. It's been years since the diary was stabbed by Harry with basilisk fangs."

Ginny was silent. She was there when that happened. It was the stabbing in question which allowed her to be sitting there alive.

"We should get back to the Burrow," said Ron weakly.

The three of them stood Harry up as he held onto Teddy, and formed a triangle around him. Ginny was in front of him, facing him, and Ron and Hermione were on either side of him, also face towards the center of the triangle. Ron, Ginny and Hermione each closed in, as everyone except Teddy thought only of the Burrow and-

CRACK!

All five of them landed on the soil of the Weasleys' backyard and saw what looked like an eruption of red hair and freckles.

"Oh, Blimey!" said Ron. "The cousins are here!"

"You sure have a lot of cousins, Ron," Hermione laughed.

"Yeah," said Ginny. "My uncle Nigel had seven sons and most of them are married with enormous amounts of children."

"Not that your family didn't work out or anything, Ginny," Harry began, suddenly back to his normal self. "But if we ever had kids, let's stick to three."

Ginny smiled and even Ron couldn't help but laugh a bit; ignoring the fact that Harry was really pushing the boundaries of their powerful friendship.

Hermione giggled, "Same thing goes for us, Ron."

"Personally, I think two is fine," Ron joked.

Mrs. Weasley suddenly came running towards them, looking very distressed. When she reached them, she was staring fixedly at Harry and rapidly speaking of something terribly concerning pertaining to Harry. Thankfully she stopped when Ginny, Ron, and Hermione vigorously shook their heads behind Harry's back. Harry tried to let this one slide.

"Oh, come meet our family, dear," she said putting a hand on Harry's left shoulder.

"You mean _our_ family," Ron corrected, fully aware that she was implying her passionate consent of Harry and Ginny's love.

"Oh yes, of course, but Harry's practically part of the family…" she said, pausing to search for a subject change. "It's just that F-Fred used to love it when the boys came over. We thought it would be nice if… if…"

"Mum?" Ginny said uncertainly. If she began to cry, so would everyone else.

"Well, let's introduce you two," she said to Harry and Hermione, shaking away the forming tears.

She led the group to a familiar-looking balding red-haired man and a short red haired woman talking to Arthur, while Ginny took Teddy from her boyfriend and brought him over to what looked like a group of wives. One or two of them seemed to be pregnant.

"Excuse me Arthur- Harry this is Nigel, Arthur's elder brother," said Mrs. Weasley, gesturing to the man.

The man turned to Harry and gave him a wide grin. With his immense height and horn-rimmed glasses, the man resembled Arthur greatly. Before Harry could introduce himself, the man interrupted.

"Don't worry sir, I know who you are!" the fan beamed. "I've heard all about you."

Harry, a bit disappointed, said, "Oh- yeah, I guess I'm still… still in the papers."

"Oh, not the papers, dear boy. From Ronald! And Ginevra too; she wouldn't shut up about you a few years ago."

"Oh," said Harry apologetically, feeling a bit awkward. "Well nice to meet you Mr. Weasley."

The two men shook hands, and Harry was introduced to the red-haired woman. She was the man's wife, and Molly's cousin Lucy. The couple met Hermione and she had a brief conversation with Harry and the two eldest Weasley couples, before Hermione was dragged by Ginny over to some of the wives of the nine Weasley cousins and Harry was snatched by Ron to meet a boy who looked to be a year or two older than Percy.

"Hey, I'm Artie," said the red-haired blue-eyed boy with a shy smile.

"The youngest boy like me!" Ron added brightly.

"Nice to meet you Artie," said Harry smiling.

"Oh, look Ron, it's Grandma and Grandpa!"

Harry looked to where Artie was pointing to see the hard-at-hearing old couple he remembered seating at Bill and Fleur's wedding. It was then when he realized why Nigel looked so familiar. It was the drunken man at the very same wedding that had been convinced Harry (disguised as the re-haired 'Barney') was one of his sons. Harry new now why the man was confused, having been the father of nine.

"Oi!" Harry heard someone call from above him.

Harry looked to see a small club falling towards him. Without thinking, he caught it. Confused as to why a wooden bat just fell from the sky; Harry looked up to see a Quidditch game in progress. He realized why he was given a club when a Bludger came hurtling at him. Harry smacked it forcefully and the ball shot through the arms of one red-haired player.

"Bloody hell!" shouted another, reminding Harry that these were relatives of Ron.

"Good hit!" yelled another.

A few seconds later, about fourteen people descended from the sky on broom-sticks and landed just before Harry, Ron, and Arty. Harry counted seven males and seven females, all intermixed. Six of the boys were men, four of those being red-heads Harry didn't know. The two red-haired men were none other than the stocky thick-bodied George and Charlie Weasley. The other four men were ranging from Charlie's age to thirty years of age. The seventh male, the only boy, was another freckled red-head, but was only about 14 years old.

Out of the seven females, there were only four women. None of them had the Weasley red hair, but one was a slim cherry-blond about a year older than Charlie; another fit woman in her mid to late thirties had thick reddish brown hair (and bore a great resemblance to the red-haired boy), and a thirty-or-so-year-old had curly dark red locks. The other woman had long and sleek black hair, complementing her Indian skin tone. The remaining three were red-haired twelve-year-olds, two of them being two parts of an identical set of mulatto red-head triplets (though Harry didn't know, as the other was playing exploding snap with another red-haired girl well behind him). The one unidentical to the others looked a bit more like the 14-year old and red-brunette woman than any of the others.

Then, a man, boy, and girl ran too him, the man carrying a chalkboard and the girl carrying a humungous chunk of chalk. All three had red hair and freckles like the rest of the Weasleys. The fourteen-year-old boy was tan, but looked more like the pair of girls within the set of triplets due to his swell in lips and flare in nostrils. The man was in his early thirties looked like the rest of the men and Artie, as if all of them were made up five-man portion of the nine brothers. He and his presumed brothers also looked like George, Charlie, Ron, and the rest of the Weasleys.

"Hullo Ron!" said the broom-less man who had just ran to them enthusiastically.

Ron weakly smiled at his vast family. "Hey Marcus."

"And you must be Harry," Marcus beamed, and extended a large hand. He, like most of the men, had inherited the Weasley height. "How are ya?"

"Fine thanks," said Harry, taking the hand and allowing it to be shaken gruffly.

"This is my wife Chandra," he said, taking the hand of the Indian woman and pulling her to Harry. They made acquaintance and Marcus moved on. He then pointed to the girl who was with him. "This is Roberta daughter of my older brother Robby, twin brother Horace Sr., and Robby's wife, Kolbie, Roxanne's younger sister." Harry realized that this would mean a set of double cousins, and that these cousins would look especially alike- as if half-siblings. He guessed that one of Roberta's double cousins was the only boy who played Quidditch.

"This is my second little brother, Cameron," He said, pointing to the thirty-year-old carrot-top. "And his wife Kamarinne… Call 'em Ronny and Cam." He gestured to the slim thirty-year-old with dark red curls. "And my first little brother is Hexus, here." He waved to the freckled early-thirty-year-old.

They raised an arm to each other, and Marcus proceeded.

"Then there's Erik," he said of the Red-head only a bit older than Charlie. "Then Barry and his wife Gina." He gestured to the red-head and cherry-blond a bit younger than Charlie. "And here's Roxanne, my brother Horace's wife, and their son Horace- we call 'em Junior." He acknowledged the woman with wavy red-brown hair and the only boy to play Quidditch.

Harry flashed smiles at them, growing a bit impatient.

"And here's Fenella- Nella, I mean- and Lucella, and their older brother Gerard. Three of my brother Nigey's kids." He pointed to the mulatto twins and the fourteen-year-old who looked like them. "Well I hope you could remember that because I have three more brothers, six kids and were working for one more, and about twenty nieces and nephews. Then there's four wives, a fiancée, and a girlfriend. Plus one of them is very pregnant, and one of them is barely pregnant, and another who's trying to be. There's a possibility Rox might be pregnant but It's too soon to tell. Once all these pregnancies and almost-pregnancies are through, I expect at least eight more- and multiple births are extremely common in our family…. I saw you meet my parents, so at least you have them down so far."

Harry's eyebrows flew up into his forehead and Ron laughed.

"We'll just draw you up a family tree in a while, okay," Charlie chuckled.

Harry laughed as did most of the people around him.

"Hey, you wanna play?" asked Barry, slapping Harry gruffly in the shoulder. We were thinking of trying a three-team game."

With a few words of encouragement from the other men, Harry and Ron decided to play as George's partner Beater and Chaser, respectively, as Ginny came and took the position of Seeker by Harry's insistence, giving Hermione the baby.

To get a game going, they rallied up the first cousins once removed of Ron and his siblings, Junior's generation. Bill and Fleur came in just in time as well, with Appoline, Monsier and Gabrielle Delaceur. Gabrielle brought her first, and older, boyfriend, Hektor, who happened to be the younger brother of an International Quidditch star of the Bulgarian team and former Triwizard Tournament competitor. Being the brother of Viktor Krum, Hektor of course joined in on the Quidditch game.

As for Junior's generation, the grandchildren of Nigel and Lucy, there was such enthusiasm that they changed it into a four-team game. The twin boys between the mulatto son and the mulatto triplets (now including Nigella), Forrest and Gordon decided to play with all four of their siblings. Roberta and her older brother, Colbert, also decided to join, alongside their younger twin brothers: Richard and Padric. Horace's little thirteen-year-old sister and brother, Gisel and Arcturus, two parts of a set of triplets jumped in, too. The person to complete the roster was a nine year old cherry-top; the first child of Marcus and Chandra.

Harry and Chandra decided to take a quick bathroom break before the game started and the line-ups were chosen. While Harry was waiting for Chandra, having let her go first, her heard her suddenly scream. He ran to the door to knock and find out what was going on, but before he reached it, it flew open and out flew an ecstatic Chandra.

"I'm pregnant! I'm pregnant!" she squealed, taking Harry off guard with a hug and running outside with him tospread the news.

Once the excitement had become a bit subdued, the game line-up was created.

Marcus chose to referee again, after celebrating with his wife for several minutes, but without Roberta and Gerard to keep score and announce the game, he had to split the job between Horace Junior's little brother and two little sisters: the one final part of thirteen-year-old triplets; Bilius, and the twelve-year-old twins; Angelia and Micheline. Marcus kept his first son, a seven-year-old Mark, by his side just in case he lost focus. His wife was also nearby, celebrating the conception with her five-year-old daughter, Phoebe, and three-year-old triplets Janis, Decimus, and Noviella. Kamerinne's kids, a six-year-old boy, Cameron and a three year-old Camille played with the aforementioned four kids while Kamarinne's three-month baby was held by a six-month pregnant Evangelina, the half-Japanese wife of Erik, as she chatted with a two month pregnant Kolbie. Kolbie was also watching over Hexus's two-year-old Sabrina and one-year-old Gabriel with the multiracial mother, Cynthia. Nigel and his African-British wife were talking with the hard-at-hearing grandparent's, Lucy, and Molly, while the thirty-five-year-old twins Robert and Horace Sr. laughed with their father, Nigel Sr. Everyone was revved up for the game.

The Green Team included Barry as keeper, Gina, Charlie, and Nigella as Chasers, Richard, and Padric as beaters, and Hektor as seeker. The Blue Team consisted of Forrest and Gordon as Beaters, Ronny as keeper, Lucella, Roxanne, and George as Chasers, and Horace- an exceptionally promising prodigy- as seeker. Ginny was seeker for the Yellow team with Bill as keeper, Fenella, Cam, and Erik as Chasers, and April and Gisel as Beaters. Harry graciously took the position of seeker of the Red Team of Ron as keeper, Roberta and Colbert as Beaters, and only Hexus, and Arcturus as chasers. Chandra left an empty slot.

"Aw, come on, Hermione," urged Ron in an attempt to coerce her into the chaser position.

"Absolutely not," she said shaking her head vigorously.

"Yeah just do it, Mione," Ginny laughed.

"No, no, definitely _not_," she persisted.

After a few minutes of careful prodding, Harry finally got her to mount a broom, albeit reluctantly. She rose into the air, half screaming, half laughing in a mixture of fear and amusement. She nearly fell several times, but got the hang of flying eventually.

The score of the game was eventually forgotten, but all four teams had fun in the chaotic blurs of fiery red hair. Harry had completely forgotten what he had seen, and allowed himself to take Hermione's side in the argument. Ginny, however, was not convinced.

* * *

"Ahhhh….. Bellatriksss…." Voldemort hissed. He beckoned her to come towards him.

Breathless, Bella came forward, mumbling words of wonder. Voldemort snatched her hand once she got close enough and looked hungrily at the ring.

"My old ring," he whispered.

Bellatrix began to plead "Oh, master- I didn't-"

"Silence Bellatrix!" he said and she instantly bowed her head, not talking. Tears were forming in her eyes. "An appropriate place, Bella."

Bellatrix gasped, for the ring was in place of her old wedding band. Voldemort kissed the ring, and a single, blood colored tear swam from his eyes to his silvery lips and down his pointed chin. In a slow motion, it fell from the chin and onto the cracked ring with the same sound of escaping steam. Black smoke rose from the sealing crack in the onyx stone and danced higher and higher into the darkness above. The crack was gone, and the ring shined as if newly forged, the odd rune-like shape upon it glowing with a deathly green glow. Voldemort was back.

"The phoenix has provided me with flesh, Bella. For now, I can fly, sing, disappear, and cry just like it can. I may also come to join its life cycle. But, I must go Bella. There are many things to attend to, and many mud-bloods to slaughter. Lucius will soon retrieve you, once these two weeks are up. Do not tell him or his family anything."

In another roar of black fire and puff of black smoke, Voldemort was gone.

Bellatrix was absolutely silent for a few minutes, but- in realization- began to cackle in a mixture of insanity and bliss.

The Dark Lord had returned, and the Wizarding World was thus far unaware.


	6. Chapter 6

"You can't do this!" Narcissa Malfoy sobbed as she tried unfruitfully to free herself from some Ministry workers' grasp.

"Sorry ma'am," he said as if he was not sorry at all. He stepped out through the front door of her house, his hands clenched painfully around her pale, slim arms. _Her _house! He attempted to pull her through with him, but she wouldn't budge.

"Ministry orders," another said in an unfeeling business-like tone, shoving her roughly out the door, and pulling her with him down the steps of a porch.

Some other person behind her was blabbering an explanation. "… Just for compensation, you're lucky you weren't sent strait to Azkaban… Only taking away your home and demanding service to the world… You'll be able to cope…"

"Excuse me!" she ripped herself from there grasp. They decided not grab hold of her again, having already taken her wand. "I essentially prevented the death of the boy who is almost entirely responsible for the ending of this war, having murdered the Dark Lord in subsequent events! By extension I am the heroine who ended this war, and should not be the one paying compensation, but the one being paid compensation. If you won't give me that, then surely I have redeemed myself and my past action."

"Lady, look," another man said. "We're just following orders."

"Clearly," she said, scrunching up her nose as if smelling something putrid.

"Alright," yet another said. "Be nice and we may be gentle."

Narcissa practically lost it at that, but before she could attack three or four Ministry officials seized her and strapped her tightly to a metal chair.

"Where is your husband?" the interrogator said blandly.

"Lucius?" she said innocently, hiding her emotions as they began to overcome her. "No idea."

"Veritaserum!" he called, snapping his fingers and extending his hand impatiently as his assistant fumbled through a briefcase.

"I beg your pardon!" Narcissa huffed. "I will _not_ be subjected to such-"

A glass vial was thrusted to her mouth and a tasteless liquid swam down her throat uneasily, silencing her instantaneously. She knew she mustn't open her mouth, and thus locked her lips tightly together. The next words that left her mouth would almost certainly sell her family to the Ministry of Magic.

"Now, Narcissa," said the swarthy, dark-haired man slyly. "Where is your husband?"

Narcissa glared at him as a wicked smile began to spread across his poorly shaven face. His grey eyes glinted with malice.

"He's at Gringott's," she struggled, unable to keep her lips sealed no matter how hard she tried. "Making a withdrawal."

Tears began to flow down her cheeks.

"And where, Narcissa," he purred. "Is your _son_?"

Tears began to slide down her face at a higher rate, as terrible thoughts filled her mind. She could only imagine what could happen to her boy. Her only boy. He was more precious to her than anything. She just couldn't reveal _his_ location. And yet… she had to.

"He's visiting friends… At Greengrass Manor."

"I wonder what Hogwarts will be like," Harry mused aloud, sticking a baby spoon into a jar of mashed pears.

"Yeah…" Ginny sighed vaguely, holding the ever-giggling Teddy Lupin.

It had been a few days since the Weasley family reunion. The whole thing ended up turning into a Victory Celebration of sorts, as Mrs. Weasley began to invite many more guests. She invited the Longbottom family, claiming that Alice was her paternal parallel cousin once removed on Alice's father's side, and that Augusta was once married to the second cousin in law of Molly's paternal Uncle. This husband of Augusta Longbottom also happened to Arthur's parallel first cousin. Since the Abbot family was visiting the Longbottoms at the time (Hannah and Neville having become very close since the Battle of Hogwarts, having each saved the others life twice), Hannah and her father came too. The Lovegoods and Amos Diggory were also invited, simply because of their close proximity. In time, Hermione charmed those Dumbledore's Army coins, and many more families arrived. The Changs, Browns, Johnsons, Spinnets, Smiths, Creeveys minus the poor unfortunate Collin, Macmillans, Bones, Boots, Thomases, Corners, and other families joined the party. Andromeda and Great Auntie Muriel were the next to arrive, but the party didn't start until Hagrid appeared with Fang and a cooler full of butterbears and firewhiskey. Several other members of the Hogwarts staff came moments after him. Of course, Harry felt awkward as the subject of so many toasts but a few hours on the make-shift dance floor of poorly mowed grass with Ginny made him forget everything else in the world. Near the end the party, Harry actually made a toast himself, but to all of the other brave witches and wizards who fought and/or lost their lives protecting all that is good at the Battle of Hogwarts.

"Well you are going back this year, aren't you?" asked Harry, opening his mouth in a comical way to make Teddy do the same. Teddy, a pro at mockery, of course opened his moth precisely the way Harry did, and allowed the spoonful of baby food to slide into his gaping mouth.

"Well…" Ginny said, not knowing where to start.

"What do you mean, _well_," asked Harry, surprised. "You can't just have six years of Hogwarts."

"Oh, but _you_ can?" she argued.

Harry struggled for words. "Ginn, that's-"

"Different?" she said hysterically. "You think it's different?"

"Ginny, that's not what I meant."

"You think I was having a grand old holiday while you were out there doing only Ron and Hermione know what? I'm sure your job was no walk in the park, but everyone at Hogwart's had to spend every waking moment being wary of the Death Eaters swarming the school, and protecting the defenseless first-years!"

Harry was silent for a while.

"You should still go back."

Ginny looked very uncomfortable now, and her bright brown eyes began to look a bit watery.

"I can't spend another year away from you," she choked. "Not again."

Harry couldn't think of what to say, but it seemed as if every tear that fell from her eye was knife running through Harry's already troubled heart. He wanted her to be happy, and always had. He quickly moved to her and held her tight while maintaining a caution for the baby's well-being.

"I felt the same way," said Harry, trying to keep his eyes as dry as possible.

It had been torture without her. All those long cold nights and groggy days, thinking only of her and how much he wanted her at his side. It would be difficult if Ginny went off to school without him, but he knew it was for her own good, and it was this good he wanted to forever maintain.

"No," Ginny said, making Harry perplexed. "It was different."

"How could you say th-"

"Harry!" Ginny cried. "Ron told me about Fred and George's old map. And Hermione told me what you used to do with it."

Harry suddenly recalled the way he survived those dark nights, staring at the dot representing Ginny Weasley as it sat there in representation of her dormitories. He used to spend so much time staring at the Marauders Map in the wand light, making sure Ginny was okay.

"Oh," he tried.

"Yeah!" she said. "You knew very well that I was perfectly alive. You could see exactly were I was. I had nothing- _nothing_- to satisfy my constant desperation for something, anything, to tell me that you were safe. No window into your world. Sure you were all over the news, but it was the _Daily Prophet_. Who in their right minds would believe anything the damn thing said? Even the radios were untrustworthy… Although Ron believed them, I had no idea where the hell you were, as if there was some sort of barrier between us. I couldn't bear it."

Harry let this soak in for a while before saying, "Perhaps If I went with y-"

At that moment, a tawny owl swooped in through window gracefully and dropped two letters on the coffee table in front of the trio. Harry picked them both up and after seeing that one was addressed to Ginny and one to himself, he passed Ginny hers and kept his own before thanking the owl as it flew away.

_Harry,_

_This is a somewhat of an unofficial invitation into Hogwart's school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I took into account what you asked me at the party, and have arranged a new system with the rest of my Hogwart's staff. The reason these letters have been sent out so early is the important choice each recipient must make. Last year the School was, as I'm sure you are aware, overrun by Death Eaters, and thus the educational experience of the student body was greatly subdued._

_Each student will be required to choose which year they would like to enroll in. The official age of Hogwarts first years has been changed to twelve, to avoid a double-sized class of 2006. Some eleven year olds will be permitted every year until the age can be eased back into eleven several years from now. Those who attended the school this past year until the Battle, they have the choice to either redo the year entirely, or continue to proceed in Hogwart's sequence. Those who were supposed to take an OWL or NEWT exam this past year will have to either redo the year this term and take these tests at the end of the school year coming up, or simply report to Hogwart's on the day of the NEWT examination if they choose not to come back, or report to the fifth-year OWL examination rooms in their sixth-year if they choose to move onto that year._

_Now, Harry, I'm very sure you recall the day I promised that bubbly nitwit of a witch, 'Umbridge,' that I would be sure you fulfilled the requirements for entrance into Auror training. I plan to keep my promise if you choose to return to Hogwart's this year to take your NEWT exams. If you choose not to complete your Wizard training, for I am sure you are by now well-trained, I will deeply miss you and hope to meet with you again someday._

_With Utmost Sincerity,_

_Headmistress Minerva McGonagall_

_P.S I wish the best of luck to you and your future with Ginevra!_

Harry looked at Ginny, who appeared to have finished her letter just before him.

"What did yours say?" asked Ginny.

"That I can go back to Hogwarts!" he replied brightly.

He'd of course thought of returning to the school and mentioned it to Professor McGonagall, but he didn't think it could actually happen. For years, Hogwarts was always the climax of his entire life for multiple reasons. It was the place he often thought of as his own true home, having spent his early life in neglect and abuse due to his previously pig-like cousin, Dudley and the reformed boy's parents: Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley. The school term was also a climax because of the adventure and misadventure that always seemed to occur there every year. The thought of coming back to a place so fond in is many memories was overwhelming. He would absolutely adore going back to school with Ginny, Ron and Hermione.

"Really?" asked Ginny, her bright brown eyes lighting up. "Me too, but Professor McGonagall wrote that I can chose to enroll in either my sixth year or my seventh year."

"Which one are you going to chose?" Harry asked.

"Are you going to go?" she questioned in reply.

Harry thought for a moment. Of course he wanted to go back, but it took him a second to realize that no one could stop him. The Dursleys were now out of the picture, and Mrs. Weasley would never force him to do or not do anything. He was also fairly sure Molly would approve.

"Of course," he decided.

"Then I will too," she said. "I'll go with you. As a seventh year."

_'Cool!"_ Harry thought happily. He would get to have classes with Ginny and everything. In previous years he wouldn't have been able to see her as much, as they would be studying for different things, and such. Before Harry could say anything concerning the matter, there was a loud bell-like sound that told the pair that someone was at the door.

Harry was a bit surprised when he opened the door to see a most unlikely couple. There stood a wan-looking pointed-faced man with long platinum blond hair, icy gray eyes, and a somewhat defeated demeanor. This manor was not present in his slight and slim wife, Narcissa, as her beautiful golden hair hung over her delicate blue-eyed face. Both Lucius and Narcissa seemed surprised to see him there, but Harry drew his wand before they could respond at all. Oddly, the two of them seemed unfazed, and when Harry looked around he saw no one.

"What are you doing here?" he said in an acusational tone, unsure of whether to be cautious or sincere.

Neither answered for several seconds, also unsure of whether to treat him as a friend or as an enemy. They of course had fought on opposite sides of the war, but Harry had saved the life of their son, and Narcissa had essentially saved his.

"Where is my sister," Mrs. Malfoy said, looking at her feet.

"What are you doing here?" said Harry in a less hostile but more urgent voice.

"The Ministry has stolen our house from us!" Lucius spat. Narcissa instantly gave him scolding look and grabbed his hand in an attempt to calm him down. His hand was gripped tightly around a small satchel of money, as if cradling it.

"I'm not sure if I should let you in," Harry said, suspiciously. "I don't live here."

Ginny walked to the doorway, carrying Teddy in her arms. Lucius glared at the baby and Ginny withdrew her wand and turned Teddy away from them protectively, but Harry gestured that she hold back. Then, to Harry's absolute disbelief and luck Andromeda Tonks appeared suddenly behind the Malfoys, obviously taken aback when she saw people in front of her.

Andromeda stood there, open-jawed, gaping at her sister her pureblood-maniac of a husband.

"Well- gotta go!" Harry mumbled, taking Ginny's hand and squeezing past the Slytherin pair. Ginny made to hand Teddy to her, but Andromeda hissed something in her ear and ordered Ginny to take Teddy back to the Burrow with them. Harry and Ginny disapparited on the spot, Teddy sheltered from apparational constriction between the teenaged pair.

Meanwhile, Andromeda was unsure of whether to embrace her sister, forgetting about all she said to poor Andromeda about her beliefs and marital choices, or if she should behave stiffly.

She began by letting them into her house, but with caution, and telling Lucius where the bathroom was when he inquired. Lucius, however, was not interested in the toilet. He had much more important matters to attend to.

Once he reached the elaborately decorated lavoratory, he quietly sifted through the medicine cabinet, and withdrew a long, slender rod colored pure white. He smiled, relieved that he found it. That shape-shifting niece of his must have used it there. Most witches had one, but there was always a sense of doubt. It was a Wizarding pregnancy tester, something he was supposed to drop into the bag. And thus, in one swift motion he dropped the rod into the bag and closed it back up. The rod was clearly far too long to fit in the satchel, but magic can always exceed corporeal boundaries. It was charmed to hold human-sized loads.

* * *

Bellatrix was suddenly awoken from a dream-saturated sleep as light suddenly flashed above her and something long and thin hit her roughly on the head and bounced loudly to the cloth-like floor below her elegant body.

She sat up abruptly and looked around the poorly lit cavern, taking a moment to remember where she was. When she finally remembered that she had no idea, she searched around for the culprit. Then suddenly, her eyes fell upon it and her hands wrapped around the wand-like white cylinder.

She knew exactly what it was. It took her a moment to realize why she might have one before recalling Lord Voldemort's parting gift. She smiled fondly and looked all around her, searching for some source of the tester. When nothing met her eyed she simply drew it close to her and began to adjust the rod's settings.

"My birth name is Bellatrix Aurelia Black," She annunciated clearly after giving the tester a tight squeeze.

"Husband?" inquired the cool, robotic voice of a woman. It was programmed into the tester.

"Rodolphus Delphino Lestrange," she said impatiently.

"Other possible fathers, if any?" the voice asked blandly.

This was the part she had been waiting for.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle," she answered, smiling smugly. Years before Lucius had been allowed to confide in her that this was the Dark Lord's true name. She was practically salivating now, so anxious for the upcoming results.

"Bellatrix A. Black: blue" the tester said with a tone denoting a prerecording. The tester flashed a deep cobalt blue. "Rodolphus D. Lestrange: yellow." It flashed a bright bumble-bee yellow. "Tom M. Riddle: red." It blazed with a fiery red color. "Please apply to naval, and wait twenty seconds before and after the reading. For help with interpreting the results, summon the Doctor Laverne's Guide to Pregnancy Tests."

Bellatrix did not care about what the voice had to say. Honestly, she wanted it to shut up and detect a fetus one she shoved the butt of the stick into her belly button after lifting her shirt slightly. Bellatrix knew precisely how to interpret the results. She reviewed it in her mind while waiting for the twenty seconds to pass.

If she was indeed pregnant, which she hoped would be the case, then there would be a beep and a small circle of color would appear along the length of the rod. It would mix her color, blue, and the color of the father. She was of course expecting a purple circle to appear in moments. While staring at the rod before her, she began to have her doubts. She was about forty seven years old, and menopause was becoming closer and closer. What if she failed the Dark Lord, and proved to be inviable. Would he punish her? Surely he would not be pleased, and thus she would have to forget her dreams of becoming his queen. She also began to be nervous about becoming pregnant. Surely she was ready for the past twenty years, but would she be able to handle it at such an age? All her building thoughts were suddenly washed away as she finally heard the beep.

With a relieved sigh, she took in the sight of the glowing purple circle. She bursting with excitement and apprehension, but refrained from celebration. She was obediently holding the tester in place, just in case there were a set of twins or triplets, et cetera growing inside her.

To her surprise, there was another high-pitched "bing." She was indeed surprised to have two children within her, but was especially surprised to see the color of the spot. Green.

"Green?" she asked herself. She thought about what would make green blue, and instantly came up with the color yellow and her true husband, Rodolpus Lestrange. "Holy-"

There was another beep and a third color.

"What in Merlin's beard…" she began before trailing off into silence while letting the pale blue glow sink into her retinas.

"Paternity list incomplete," droned the tester.

Bellatrix dropped the tester and slowly laid down on her back, trying to translate this information into something she could understand. She didn't know that a woman could be pregnant with two men during one term, but understood the possibility. The third blotch of light however confused her.

"Could it be a clone?" she whispered to herself, addressing the fact it was same color she was assigned too. This was of course ridiculous, and so she thought about what the tester said, having remembered that her color was much deeper and darker then this whitish shade.

"Paternity list incomplete," Bellatrix said, parroting the magical device.

This implied that there was yet another man, different from the two she submitted. But who? She was, due to her love of Voldemort, an infidel but she did not believe she was to such an extent. She didn't recall being in contact with another man around the time. She had to think. The light blue light appeared after the other two, and thus the father probably impregnated her after Rodolphus and Voldemort. She remembered what Voldemort told her. She remembered who was to retrieve her body after the first body switch.

"Lucius!" she snarled.


End file.
